Cryptotanshinone Induces Inhibition of Breast Tumor Growth by Cytotoxic CD4+ T Cells through the JAK2/STAT4/ Perforin Pathway

Zhou, Jun,Xu, Xiao-Zhen,Hu, Yao-Ren,Hu, Ai-Rong,Zhu, Cheng-Liang,Gao, Guo-Sheng Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.6

Cryptotanshinone (CPT), is a quinoid diterpene isolated from the root of the Asian medicinal plant, Salvia miotiorrhiza bunge. Numerous researchers have found that it could work as a potent antitumor agent to inhibit tumor growth in vitro, buith there has been much less emphasis on its in vivo role against breast tumors. Using a mouse tumor model of MCF7 cells, we showed that CPT strongly inhibited MCF7 cell growth in vivo with polarization of immune reactions toward Th1-type responses, stimulation of naive CD4+ T cell proliferation, and also increased IFN-${\gamma}$ and perforin production of CD4+ T cells in response to tumor-activated splenocytes. Furthermore, data revealed that the cytotoxic activity of CD4+ T cells induced by CPT was markedly abrogated by concanamycin A(CMA), a perforin inhibitor, but not IFN-${\gamma}$ Ab. On the other hand, after depletion of CD4+ T cells or blocked perforin with CMA in a tumor-bearing model, CPT could not effectively suppress tumor growth, but this phenomenon could be reversed by injecting naive CD4+ T cells. Thus, our results suggested that CPT mainly inhibited breast tumor growth through inducing cytotoxic CD4+ T cells to secrete perforin. We further found that CPT enhanced perforin production of CD4+ T cells by up-regulating JAK2 and STAT4 phosphorylation. These findings suggest a novel potential therapeutic role for CPT in tumor therapy, and demonstrate that CPT performs its antitumor functions through cytotoxic CD4+ T cells.

Effect of In Situ Thermal Stretching during Oxidative Stabilization on the Orientation of Cyclized Ladder Structure and Its Carbon Fiber

Shuai Wu,Ai-jun Gao,Liang-hua Xu 한국섬유공학회 2018 Fibers and polymers Vol.19 No.6

The effect of in situ thermal stretching during oxidative stabilization on the orientation of cyclized ladder structure was investigated. Based on the structure evolution of PAN fibers with the increasing stabilization temperatures, the stabilization process was classified into three different stages, namely before the onset of cyclization, during cyclization in amorphous region, and during cyclization in crystalline region. The polyacrylonitrile (PAN) precursor fibers were stretched at the three stages with stretching ratios from 0 % to 8 % during continuous stabilization process. The results show that the orientation degree of cyclized ladder structure increases with the increase of stretching ratio at the three stages and the maximum orientation efficiency of cyclized ladder structure is obtained when PAN fibers are stretched at the stage of during cyclization in crystalline region. The orientation of resulting carbon fibers strongly depends on the orientation degree of cyclized ladder structure. The orientation efficiency of turbostratic graphite crystallite also agrees well with that of cyclized ladder structure. Meanwhile, the orientation efficiency of turbostratic graphite crystallite is higher than that of cyclized ladder structure and the difference values between orientation efficiency of the two structures decrease firstly then increase with the increase of degree of cyclization.

Down-regulation of SENP1 Expression Increases Apoptosis of Burkitt Lymphoma Cells

Huang, Bin-Bin,Gao, Qing-Mei,Liang, Wei,Xiu, Bing,Zhang, Wen-Jun,Liang, Ai-Bin Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.5

Objective: To investigate the effect of down-regulation of Sentrin/SUMO-specific protease 1 (SENP1) expression on the apoptosis of human Burkitt lymphoma cells (Daudi cells) and potential mechanisms. Methods: Short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting SENP1 was designed and synthesized and then cloned into a lentiviral vector. A lentiviral packaging plasmid was used to transfect Daudi cells (sh-SENP1-Daudi group). Daudi cells without transfection (Daudi group) and Daudi cells transfected with blank plasmid (sh-NC-Daudi group) served as control groups. Flow cytometry was performed to screen GFP positive cells and semiquantitative PCR and Western blot assays were employed to detect the inference efficiency. The morphology of cells was observed under a microscope before and after transfection. Fluorescence quantitative PCR and Western blot assays were conducted to measure the mRNA and protein expression of apoptosis related molecules (caspase-3, 8 and 9). After treatment with $COCl_2$ for 24 h, the mRNA and protein expression of hypoxia inducible factor -$1{\alpha}$ (HIF-$1{\alpha}$) was determined. Results: Sequencing showed the expression vectors of shRNA targeting SENP1 to be successfully constructed. Following screening of GFP positive cells by FCM, semiqualitative PCR showed the interference efficiency was $79.2{\pm}0.026%$. At 48 h after transfection, the Daudi cells became shrunken, had irregular edges and presented apoptotic bodies. Western blot assay revealed increase in expression of caspase-3, 8 and 9 with prolongation of transfection (P<0.05). Following hypoxia treatment, mRNA expression of HIF-$1{\alpha}$ remained unchanged in three groups (P>0.05) but the protein expression of HIF-$1{\alpha}$ markedly increased (P<0.05). However, in the sh-SENP1-Daudi group, the protein expression of HIF-$1{\alpha}$ remained unchanged Conclusion: SENP1-shRNA can efficiently inhibit SENP1 expression in Daudi cells. SENP1 inhibition may promote cell apoptosis. These findings suggest that SENP1 may serve as an important target in the gene therapy of Burkitts lymphoma.

Diagnostic Significance of Combined Detection of Epstein-Barr Virus Antibodies, VCA/IgA, EA/IgA, Rta/IgG and EBNA1/IgA for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Cai, Yong-Lin,Li, Jun,Lu, Ai-Ying,Zheng, Yu-Ming,Zhong, Wei-Ming,Wang, Wei,Gao, Jian-Quan,Zeng, Hong,Cheng, Ji-Ru,Tang, Min-Zhong Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2014 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.15 No.5

The objective of this study was to investigate the diagnostic significance of EBV antibody combined detection for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in a high incidence region of southern China. Two hundred and eleven untreated NPC patients, 203 non-NPC ENT patients, and 210 healthy controls were recruited for the study. The titers of VCA/IgA and EA/IgA were assessed by immunoenzyme assay, and the levels of Rta/IgG and EBNA1/IgA were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The levels of VCA/IgA, EA/IgA, Rta/IgG and EBNA1/IgA demonstrated no association with gender or age (p>0.05). The receiver operating characteristic curve and the area under the curve were used to evaluate the diagnostic value. The sensitivity of VCA/IgA (98.1%) and the specificity of EA/IgA (98.5%) were the highest. When a logistic regression model was used to combine the results from multiple antibodies to increase the accuracy, the combination of VCA/IgA+Rta/IgG, whose area under the curve was 0.99, had the highest diagnostic efficiency, and its sensitivity, specificity and Youden index were 94.8%, 98.0% and 0.93 respectively. The data suggest that the combination of VCA/IgA+Rta/IgG may be most suitable for NPC serodiagnosis.

Polymorphism of Insulin-like Growth Factor-I Gene in 13 Pig Breeds and its Relationship with Pig Growth and Carcass Traits

Wang, Wenjun,Huang, Lusheng,Chen, Kefei,Gao, Jun,Ren, Jun,Ai, Huashui,Lin, Wanhua Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2002 Animal Bioscience Vol.15 No.10

The polymorphism of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in 13 pig breeds (total n=559) was detected by PCR-Hha I- RFLP, and allele A (151 bp and 28 bp) or allele B (116 bp, 35 bp and 28 bp) were observed. In these pig breeds, it was found that European pig breeds carried high frequencies of allele B, while Chinese native pig breeds carried high frequencies of allele A. Meanwhile the role of porcine IGF-I was investigated in 117 Nanchang White pigs and 360 Large Yorkshire pigs. Eight traits about growth and carcass were recorded for analyzing the associations between IGF-I gene polymorphism and performance quantitative traits. In the Nanchang White pigs, those with AA genotype generally had higher birth weight than those with AB genotype (p<0.05), but all these genotypes had no significant effect on the other traits which had been analyzed. In Large Yorkshire pigs, those with BB genotype had higher 2 months and 6 months body weight than those with AA genotype (p<0.05), and had a thicker hind-back-fat thickness and mid-back-thickness than those with AB and BB genotypes (p<0.05). And those with BB genotype were the thinnest in Large Yorkshire. Furthermore, pigs with AA genotype had a lower lean percentage than those with AB and BB genotypes (p<0.01), and the lean percentage of those with BB genotype was the highest. Based on these results, it is possible to make the IGF-I gene locus into the application of marker-assisted selection programmes.

Effects of Acid–Base Properties of Ammonium Salt Electrolyte on Electrochemical Surface Activation of Carbon Fibers

Chong‑pan Ma,Yang Zhang,Heng Zhang,Ai‑jun Gao,Yu Wang 한국섬유공학회 2023 Fibers and polymers Vol.24 No.10

Surface activation is an essential process in carbon fiber preparation for surface inertness of carbon fibers. In this study, X-ray photoelectron, Raman spectroscopies, dynamic contact angle, monofilament tensile strength and interfacial shear strength (IFSS) measurements were used to investigate the activation effects of NH4HCO3, NH4H2PO4, and NH4HSO4 electrolytes on carbon fiber surfaces under the same conductivity conditions. The results showed that the surface structures and properties of carbon fibers after treatment with different ammonium salts differed significantly. Oxidation by active oxygen [O] was stronger under acidic conditions, i.e., with NH4H2PO4 and NH4HSO4, than that under alkaline conditions, i.e., with NH4HCO3. However, when the acidity was too high, oxidation by active oxygen [O] was weakened by the effect of H+ concentration. The surface graphitization degree (R) of carbon fibers decreased slightly after treatment with the three ammonium salts because of the effects of active oxygen [O] and anionic etching or stripping. As the electrolyte acidity increased, the R decreased more significantly, and the monofilament tensile strength increased more significantly. The dynamic contact angle between the activated carbon fibers and deionized water after treatment with NH4H2PO4 was the lowest. The IFSS was the largest and was 52.3% higher than that before treatment.

Study on Degradation Mechanism of Carbon Fiber-reinforced Anhydride-cured Resin-based Matrix Composites by a Benzyl Alcohol/NaOH System

Zhong-yu Si,Zhong-xiao Sun,Lianwei Ye,Ai-jun Gao,Yu Wang 한국섬유공학회 2022 Fibers and polymers Vol.23 No.11

In recent years, with the increasing demand for carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP), the recycling of its wastehas become a serious problem that restricts the wider application of CFRP. This study used a benzyl alcohol/NaOH system atatmospheric pressure to degrade the CFRP of epoxy-resin matrix cured by anhydride, and the influence of NaOH dosage ondegradation rate was investigated. The degradation mechanism of the resin was analyzed using Fourier transform infraredspectroscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and Electro-Spray Ionization-Mass Spectroscopy. The structure andproperties of the recycled carbon fibers were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectronspectroscopy and a monofilament tensile strength test. The experimental results indicated that the benzyloxy nucleophilicgroup produced by benzyl alcohol in alkaline conditions selectively attacked the cross-linking ester bond of the resin andbroke the c ross-linking point. Finally, the resin was degraded by removing the curing agent. When the m ass ratio of NaOH toCFRP (w(NaOH):w(CFRP)) was not under 1:1 and the reaction conditions were 190 °C, 1 h and atmospheric pressure, thedegradation rate of the resin reached 98.4 %. The degradation products of the resin were insoluble in benzyl alcohol andprecipitated, which was conducive to the recovery and reuse of the benzyl alcohol. The surface oxygen content of therecycled carbon fiber was similar to that of the original carbon fiber, and the tensile strength of recycled carbon fibermonofilament remained above 95 % of the original.

Stretching Deformation Mechanism of Polyacrylonitrile-based Carbon Fiber Structure at High Temperatures

Yu Wang,Tao Yan,Shuai Wu,Yuan-jian Tong,Ai-jun Gao,Liang-hua Xu 한국섬유공학회 2018 Fibers and polymers Vol.19 No.4

In a high-temperature environment, polyacrylonitrile-based carbon fiber (PAN-CF) can be deformed by stretching, where the stretching deformation ability of PAN-CF is enhanced with the increase of the temperature. Further, the hightemperature stretching deformation of PAN-CF directly affects the control of the carbon crystalline orientation. Based on the techniques of high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and in situ tension testing, the variation regularity and the intrinsic mechanism of high-temperature stretching deformation ability of PAN-CF obtained at different preparation temperatures were systematically studied in a high-temperature environment. The results indicated that the essence of PAN-CF high-temperature deformation was the relative motion of the carbon crystallite. Further, the main structural parameters that affected the high-temperature stretching deformation ability of PAN-CF were the degree of cross-linking between the carbon crystallites, the orientation angle(OA) of the carbon crystallite and the nitrogen content. When the testing temperature was lower than the preparation temperature, only physical structure changes were observed in the PAN-CF. For the PAN-CF tested undergoing physical structure changes, as the degree of cross-linking between the crystallites and the orientation angle decreased, the slipping of crystallites became easier. In the same environment, as the stretching tension decreased, the stretching deformation ability improved. When PAN-CF was tested under temperatures higher than the preparation temperature, the microcrystalline cross-linking in the PAN-CF was prone to fracture and slipping, and the high-temperature stretching deformation ability was enhanced. Also, for PAN-CF of lower preparation temperatures in PAN-CF containing no nitrogen (i.e., <0.15 wt%), the cross-linkages increased and the structures were more unstable, inducing an increase in the fracture of weak bonds and a reduction of the stretching tension. For nitrogen-containing PAN-CF, the removal of nitrogen led to severe shrinkage in the graphite layer and interlayer, and the fiber tension was thus increased, causing the high-temperature stretching deformation ability of the PAN-CF with less nitrogen content to be improved.